Green Hollow
On the north-eastern edge of the Golden Woods of Anwyn, where the golden maples give way to the ancient oaks and rolling glades of the Fawn Woods, lies the small village of Green Hollow. Barely six months old, Green Hollow is little more than a growing collection of timber cottages, workshops, paddocks and newly cultivated fields. Yet despite its youth, there is already a feeling that the settlement belongs here, as though the forest itself has accepted its new neighbours. The village was founded in the aftermath of the Liberation of Astonwick as a refuge for those who could not bear to remain within the city walls. Most of its inhabitants are women once enslaved by the orcish occupiers and the children born during those dark years. Many bear mixed blood: Half-Orc, Half-Goblin, Half-Hobgoblin, or lineages so intertwined that few see any purpose in trying to name them. Within Green Hollow, such things are of no consequence. What matters is that they are free.
The settlement is led by Korga Stonehand, a formidable Half-Orc woman whose quiet strength commands respect rather than fear. Though a capable warrior, Korga has no desire to build another fortress or command another army. Her concern is considerably simpler: that those under her protection may live freely, raise their children in safety and never again know the life of a slave. Korga shares an understanding with Dîmeril Laeghartha, Heryn of the greater woods. The two women could scarcely be more different, yet each respects the other's authority and determination to protect those who have placed their trust in her. The distinction is important to both women.
Green Hollow remains very much a settlement under construction. Every hand has work to do. The villagers keep bees, weave cloth, work timber and raise horses upon the rich meadowland surrounding the settlement. There is also little idleness. For people who spent years labouring because somebody else commanded it, there is considerable satisfaction in working upon something which actually belongs to them. The Horses graze alongside deer, while at dawn and dusk it is not uncommon for unicorns to emerge from the Golden Woods to drink from the streams or browse amongst the wildflowers. The villagers have learned to regard them as neighbours rather than spectacles.
Children are taught one rule above all others: Never pursue a unicorn. If one wishes to meet you, it will come of its own accord. Occasionally one does.
The Fawn Woods
Beyond Green Hollow lie the Fawn Woods. They were once considerably more dangerous. Under King Windhorn, the There was already bitter history between Windhorn and Dîmeril. Years earlier, Dîmeril had killed his son Boreas after Boreas publicly humiliated Melda at the Star Hall and then drew a weapon upon Dîmeril. Neither Windhorn nor Dîmeril ever forgave the other. The Liberation War finally ended their quarrel. Windhorn was killed during the fighting and the satyrs suffered devastating losses. Those who survived withdrew into the deeper glades of the Fawn Woods. They remain creatures of music, wine, revelry and mischief. But they are no longer strong enough, nor apparently inclined, to dominate their neighbours. For the first time in many years, the edge of the Fawn Woods is becoming somewhere families can live without fear.
Astonwick
Relations between Green Hollow and Astonwick remain cordial, although not entirely without tension. Lady Agnes Renfrew recognises Green Hollow's right to exist and bears Korga no ill will. She understands why many of its inhabitants chose to leave. Nevertheless, Astonwick itself must be rebuilt. Every capable family which settles at Green Hollow represents people whose labour, determination and experience might otherwise have contributed to the recovery of the town. She simply disagrees with it. She has no political ambitions and no desire to compete with Astonwick. She believes only that some people cannot reasonably be expected to rebuild their lives in the place where those lives were broken. For them, Green Hollow offers another choice.
A Place of Beginnings
Green Hollow is not a place of wealth or grandeur. Its cottages are new. Its fields are small. Its orchards will take years to mature, and there remains far more work to be done than hands available to do it. But nobody here is owned. Nobody's child is judged by the circumstances of their birth. Nobody needs permission to leave. For many of Green Hollow's inhabitants, these simple things are still extraordinary. It is a place of beginnings, a community where lives damaged by slavery and war are slowly being rebuilt beneath the golden canopy of Ehlonna's blessed forest. And for the first time, its people are building something because they have chosen to stay.
